The Eden Project
by obscire
Summary: Illonis – a planet whose population of approximately 400 million suddenly vanishes without a trace. It's something the Doctor and Rose should really stay out of; but they never were very good at that, were they? Ten/Rose, OCs. Work in Progress.
1. Prologue

**The Eden Project**  
by obscire

* * *

- Prologue -

_"Fear is the parent of cruelty."_  
- **James A. Froude** [1818 - 1894]

The mist hung over London like a blanket of silence, sneaking between nooks and crannies of old, decrepit buildings. Pale street lamps shone out against the dark, providing small circles of light across the pavements below, but as the middle of the night drew near even they couldn't fight off the impending darkness. It was winter, so the night held more secrets as it hid the stars from the sky.

Suddenly, from the stillness there erupted a burst of noise and a shaft of light fell onto the street. Standing in it, their silhouettes stretching long across the pavements, were two men. They clung to each other as they tried to walk, stumbling and tripping every now and then as they went.

William and John had been out at the local tavern, celebrating the fact that John's long lost love of several years had finally agreed to marry him. It was a hearty celebration done in the most enthusiastic of ways, and they would probably both pay for it the following morning with headaches as piercing as white-hot metal.

Still, they seemed in good spirits as they made their way slowly up the deserted street – they were also totally oblivious to the fact that they were being watched.

From the darkness, a pair of small, gleaming eyes watched them go and a hand twitched silently beneath a concealed cape. As the laughter of the men hit its ears it moved, so fast you wouldn't even have known there was anyone – or anything – there. Up on the rooftops it moved like a shadow, footsteps silent against the clay slates, its eyes never once leaving its prey. It crouched down, a long neck straining to follow the path of the friends.

Then it stopped.

In the silence of the street the new, crooning noise was completely unforgettable – in a flash the creature moved away, leaping from one rooftop to the next and using its cape as makeshift wings to glide to the floor. Then it scampered off, moving between the shadows like a ghost, leaving its prey for the night unharmed. It could still hear the screams of fear in its head, it could still see the terror carved on his victims' faces. But that night would see silence and peace in London.

Several streets away, a blue police box began winking into existence – and out of it there stepped a man who the creature never wanted to lay eyes on again.


	2. A Day in the Life

**The Eden Project**  
by obscire

* * *

- Chapter One -  
_A Day in the Life_

_"Without friends no one would choose to live, though he had all other goods."_  
- **Aristotle **[483 BC – 322 BC]

_'And the reports across London don't seem to be offering us any sign of relief from this bitter weather; many places still remain closed and the public is advised to stay inside at all costs. Work is being done to clear the roads, but with the nation steadily running out of grit and the blizzards getting heavier, it's hard to imagine anyone seeing much improvement before the week is out.'_

The news reporter's grainy image flickered, momentarily losing focus as his voice became garbled with noise. Jacqueline Tyler, never much of a one for patience, gave the TV set a hasty bang with her closed fist. For a second the reporter came back, eyes sombre and mouth set in a straight line, before fizzing out entirely to static.

She sighed exasperatedly. "Bloody thing."

"Not to worry, Jackie!" A smiling face poked itself out of the doorway from the kitchen, a bawdy mass of chestnut hair coming with it. "I'll have her fixed up in no time."

Jackie narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "It's your fault the bloomin' thing ain't working in the first place."

"I'm only trying to help," came the meek reply.

"Last time you 'tried to help', I was cleaning spaghetti bolognese off my walls for days!"

"Hmph. Well, if you'd _rather_ have some sub-standard conman come in to your house, call himself an electrician and charge you for the privilege, then be my guest."

"'Sub-standard'?" Jackie bit out. "'Conman'?" How 'bout you then, Doctor? Where's _your_ degree?"

"Now, hang on a moment," said the man himself, coming into the living room and straightening to his full height. "That's entirely different. For starters, I never pretend to be anything I'm not. In fact – "

"You two arguing again?" The smiling sigh came from behind them, where a pretty blonde stood with her arms folded and a gentle smile in her eyes. She glanced from one side of the room to the other, from her mum to her best friend, and grinned. "Can't leave the room without you starting something."

The Doctor pulled at his loosened tie, clearing his throat. "Actually, Rose, Jackie was just thanking me for trying to help with the TV signal."

Rose snorted loudly. "As if. You do remember the bolognese incident, don't you?"

As Jackie let out a giggle, the Doctor muttered a good natured, 'Oh, shut up,' before disappearing back into the kitchen.

It had been an unusual visit. Usually, when the Doctor and Rose popped back to London it was only for a few hours, for a day at most. There had been the odd special occasion (birthdays, a Christmas here or there when they felt like one) which demanded more of their attention, but they were usually off not too long afterwards.

This visit was… different. It was their third day in London and it was drawing towards a record. The longest to date had been just after the Doctor had regenerated, but a lot of that had been to do with his mostly being unconscious and – as he constantly pointed out whenever Rose brought it up – it hadn't exactly been a choice to stay that long.

It was mid-February and the relentless snow was strange for that time of year. Most of the London streets were deserted, apart from kids who still weren't tired of snowballs and snowmen, and all around the city there was the feeling that the safest place was indoors. It might have gone a little way to explaining why both Rose and the Doctor weren't yet suffering from itchy feet, but that in itself was a mystery.

Rose left her mum to debate with the TV and followed the Doctor back through to the kitchen, where for the past half hour he had been staring very intently at the microwave as he tried to figure out how to program the twenty-four hour clock.

She stood in the doorway, arms and ankles folded – a striking pose she'd learned from another man in the Doctor's shoes – and watched him for a few moments. He wasn't half funny; sitting back and forward, hands scraping through his wild, flyaway hair. Every now and then he would let out a sigh of frustration, and once or twice she caught him glance longingly towards the sonic screwdriver.

Her mum had said, seeing as they were there for so long, that he might as well make himself useful. "That clock on the microwave has been broken for months," she'd said, eyeing the Doctor steadily. "Can't for the life of me get my head round it. Maybe you could have a look, Doctor? Only, no alien stuff – I won't have anything 'foreign' near my cooking implements, thank you!"

He wouldn't have normally obeyed her, but Rose had dared him to do it. Nearly thirty hours later, he was still trying to figure it out. She covered her mouth as she let out a laugh at the thought.

Turning at her sound, he lifted an eyebrow. "You know, I'm not even sure this was manufactured on Earth," he complained with a sniff, standing up. "I'm clever. Very clever. If I can't figure it out, there's no way it was made here."

"Getting the better of you, is it?" she teased, coming into the room. "Pretty sure it was working when we bought it."

"Yes, well." He turned, frowning hard at the cheap and cheerful piece of equipment in front of him. "Give me a moment. I'm deducing."

With a smirk, Rose wandered over to his side, staring intently at the microwave dials in front of her. She leaned a casual hand against the Doctor's back as, leaning forward, she tapped at a few of the buttons on the panel.

"Don't! I'm trying to set this and it's very precise, you can't just – "

With a beep and a flash the correct time popped up onto the display, exact down to the last second. Rose turned to the Doctor with a hidden smile and he reached up, scratching at his chin.

"Yes, well, I knew that was there, of course. That was easy the quick-fix way; I was under the impression Jackie wanted it done properly, can't have these half-arsed attempts at things you know, better it's fixed properly, better it's… " He trailed off as he watched her expression, something mocking in her eyes. "Did I ever tell you about the time I went to Cisca?" he put in hopefully. "Wonderful planet, I'll have to take you sometime, the drinks come with these cute little cocktail sticks… "

They wandered back into the living room arm in arm, the Doctor recounting one of his many tales from his past and Rose laughing at his side. Within minutes they felt the old pull of time and space begin to get to them and, despite the snow and comfort of the house, they shared an expression which told the other it was time to go.

Detaching from the Doctor's side, Rose approached her mother, who was still trying in vain to fiddle with the TV aerial.

"Think we're gonna head off now, Mum," she said apologetically with a tight smile. "Places to be and all that."

Jackie turned suddenly, a crestfallen expression stealing her features. "But I've made shepherd's pie for dinner - we was gonna sit down together, have a nice family meal." She paused, glancing between them. "It hasn't been the same since Mickey … left."

Rose and the Doctor exchanged the same awkward glance, his because of the idea of a 'family meal' and hers because of the guilt of Mickey's departure.

"I'm sorry, Mum," Rose continued, turning back and touching her arm. "We'll be back soon, yeah? Could be five minutes if you wanted, time machine and everything."

"It won't be, though, will it?"

The meaningful look she shot them both registered deeply and, though both Rose and the Doctor knew they couldn't really stay much longer, it hit its mark.

They left the flat together in silence, Jackie's eyes following them from the door all the way down to the bottom of the stairs. Rose waited until she was outside before she said anything, and she rubbed her arms, her skin reacting to the cold winter air.

"I hate it when she does that," she grumbled as they walked, their feet leaving imprints in the snow.

"You are her only daughter. I know I plan trips not too far apart, every couple of weeks really, but it must be difficult."

She gave him a wary glance. "Whose side are you on?"

"You know it's not about sides," the Doctor responded tenderly, reaching down to take her hand. "She shouldn't manipulate you, but she misses you. It's what people do."

"I guess."

The snow was still falling and it clung to their clothes as they walked, causing Rose to wrinkle her nose whenever a flake drifted into her face. Every surface was covered in a blanket of white - it was the ideal picture of London in the middle of winter.

As they rounded the next corner, the TARDIS loomed into view, her proud posture steadfast against the backdrop of white. It filled both the Doctor and Rose with a comforting air, something that felt more like home than most other things in the universe.

"I wish she'd find someone," Rose blurted as they approached.

The Doctor shot her an amused glance. "Your mum?"

"Yeah. Least then I wouldn't feel so bad about leaving her behind all the time."

The Doctor knew that Jackie was, now, the only reason he and Rose ever bothered coming back to London so often. He'd always told himself he would never allow himself to get involved with the families of his companions, but somehow Jackie was different. Perhaps it was because she was left alone, but he, too, felt guilt when he thought about stealing away her only daughter into the dead of night.

Still, as he released her hand and reached for his key, he let his eyes rove over her for a second - she smiled in return. He paused, his key firmly in the lock.

"I'm so pleased you're travelling with me," he said quietly, smiling as flakes of snow melted on her skin.

She grinned. "Yeah, me too. S'wonderful."

"Life would be … very different without you."

Their gaze held for a long moment, but Rose's soon turned questioning. She tilted her head, surveying him in the way that always made him feel like she was seeing more of him than he wanted to let on.

He shouldered open the door, shrugging off his jacket and throwing it over one of the coral pillars. The TARDIS console pulsed as they entered, the column light fading to a pale green.

"Hello, old girl," he said softly, running a hand over the pillar. "Miss us?"

Rose, who was watching from the door, pulled it shut and kicked off her shoes. "She can't understand you, right?" she asked curiously as she walked up the ramp to the centre console.

"Not my words, no."

She grinned teasingly. "So it's like talking to a plant."

"It's a bit more complicated than that. When humans have pets, they form bonds with them - they feel something for them. They learn their behavioural patterns and can usually tell the instant is something wrong, and it works both ways. The animal needs to be loved and cared for, it needs certain things that it learns to rely on its owner for. And, conversely, the owner gets satisfaction out of caring for something in that way. It's a sense of completion, wholeness." He looked longingly up the pillar of the TARDIS, into the vast ceiling above. "You miss it when it's not there."

Rose blinked at him, her silence a sign of her awe.

"We've been through a lot together, my TARDIS and me," he continued, smiling. "I rescued her, you know."

"You what?"

The Doctor moved around the console unit, flicking switches here or there and checking the readings appearing on the monitor. "It's true. She was in wreckage, broken. They were fixing her up, but they hadn't quite finished on her … I guess I recognised something kindred, so I sneaked in and nicked her when no one was looking." At the disparaging look Rose shot him, he added, "I was young then. Never did pass my test."

Letting out a laugh, Rose grinned, patting him on the shoulder. "Least that explains the shoddy driving, then."

"Oi!" He frowned at her, rolling up his sleeves. "I've told you before, TARDISes are actually meant – "

"To be piloted by more than one Time Lord, I know," Rose finished, rolling her eyes - it was the same defence the Doctor always used when she commented that she ended up on her bum more often from his piloting than anything else. "Like to see six of you fit 'round here, though."

"Should have met me in my eighth form," he dropped in, tapping at a keyboard. "TARDIS was bigger, very Edwardian – liked a lot of wood. Had a thing for style, back then."

"As opposed to now, you mean?" Rose teased, touching her tongue to the corner of her mouth.

The Doctor threw a pad of post-its at her.

«¤»

The sun's heat was beating down persistently, its rays shining in the dusky air. Rose was pleased she'd decided dungarees and t-shirt; anything else and she would be suffering with unbearable heat exhaustion. Everywhere the light touched shone back in brilliant radiance, crystallised beads clinging to the grassy surface. It was dew, the Doctor had told her, formed at night time and lit to radiance at dawn and dusk. The purple sky above was burning a crisp golden at the horizon, but the air was humid, as though the planet had been holding the same breath for hundreds of years.

Rose, however, didn't have the time to absorb the beauty of the landscape – at that precise moment she was lunged face-first into long fur that smelled worse than the Doctor's socks, trying very hard not to breathe in through her nose but failing with almost every breath. She kept being juddered about from one side to another, and would have fallen if her hands weren't buried so far in the creature's hide.

"Come on, Rose," the Doctor chided, trotting up to her with a grin. She glared out at him. He would, of course, be a total master at riding these things, not even needing to use the reigns, which dangled either side down by his feet.

She tried to sit up, wrapping the reigns around her arms as her animal snorted in contempt.

"Easy Rose, easy," said the Doctor, giving his own one a gentle pat. It snorted and nuzzled up into his palm. "They're very delicate creatures, the Eloo."

"They're a bloody nightmare is what they are." Her Eloo shook itself, hard, and Rose got the distinct impression it was trying to throw her off. As she settled back on top of it, she gave the Doctor a pointed look. "See? When you suggested 'a bit of fun', I thought you meant paddling in the sea, or something."

The Eloo were an animal more for the tourists, indigenous to the planet and, by nature, very calm and friendly. They looked like some sort of weird cross between an emu and a horse, and given that Rose had a fear of horses her eyes hadn't exactly lit up when they'd appeared at the stables for a session of riding. Their guide was up ahead, trotting slowly to lead the way, but of course the Doctor had spent most of the session so far galloping off and enjoying the ride, not pootling on slowly right at the back.

"You know what humans say back on Earth, about children and the sea?" the Doctor responded, giving his Eloo a soft ruffle. He watched Rose with an amused air as she tried to get hers to take a step forward. "Yes, well. Never mind about children, just – trust me, you don't want to go paddling in the sea. Now, are you going to hurry up?"

"That's easy enough for you to say," she retorted, eyeing his beige Eloo with wary eyes. "Yours actually does what you tell it."

The Doctor smiled, urging his creature onward, and it obeyed without even a twitch from the reigns. "I've just done this before, that's all," he threw back over his shoulder. "Nothing to it!"

Rose humphed and tried the same tactic she'd just seen the Doctor do – all it got for her was an irritated snort and a stamp of a hoof on the dusty, crystallised path.

"I don't like it either, all right?" she spoke to it firmly, plunging her hands into its fur again. "Be quicker walking at this rate," she added in a mutter.

The Doctor, who was trotting away happily, stopped and turned. His Eloo, sensing a break, lowered its head and started munching on the grass flaked around its feet. Their guide was several metres away, continuing on at a studious pace and never once stopping.

"Think I'm gonna walk the rest of the way back," Rose called out to the Doctor, swinging one of her legs over as she prepared to dismount. "Reckon it'll be – "

"No Rose, _don't!_"

His warning cry was lost on her, however, as was his anguished expression. Just as she went to hop down to the floor, the Eloo tossed back its head and let out an almighty screech, then cantered off in a random direction, snorting and shaking its shaggy head from side to side. And Rose, whose arms were still caught up in the reigns, found herself flung towards the ground before half her organs knew what was happening.

The beast galloped on, the sound of its hooves deafening in her ears, and she realised the only reason she hadn't fallen from it completely and been trampled to death were because of the leather reigns. Still, her weight was heavy against the Eloo and kept pulling it to one side, and every attempt to try and mount the thing again just ended up with her slipping closer and closer to the ground.

"Doctor!" she cried out, her voice muffled against the clattering of hoofs by her ear. In desperation she grabbed, hard, into the Eloo's fur – but that only made it run harder, faster, and she soon felt herself begin the slip. She had to close her eyes and mouth to stop the whirl of dust choking her and she thought, for a second, maybe the best thing to do would just be to throw herself to the ground while she still had the chance.

But that meant getting herself out of the reigns and she couldn't even see, let alone manoeuvre. Perhaps it was the end, she thought bitterly – timeless accounts of running away and getting out of jail cells, and this is how Rose Tyler meets her demise: trampled to death on an alien planet by a creature whose name made her think of cyberspace toilets. Great.

She choked and spluttered as a cloud of dust flew in her face. Her grip, such that it was, was sweaty with fear. Where the bloody hell was the Doctor? Knowing him he'd probably got distracted by some foliage, hadn't even noticed that she was within inches of –

And then he was there – or at least, someone was. A strong arm came up around her torso, lifting her from the ground, and she blindly felt herself being cut away from the stampeding creature. Her momentum carried her, however, and as soon as she was free she felt herself travelling towards the ground even faster; the Doctor's hands weren't enough to keep her up and, with the terrifying cry of his own Eloo coming down, the three of them landed in an ungracious, loud pile in the middle of the field.

Everything hurt; she didn't dare open her eyes. The important thing was that she was alive enough to feel pain. She was also alive enough to feel spiky grass pressed against her face, and an unbelievable weight on top of her that made it near impossible to breathe.

"…Bother," came a rather muffled, yet irritated, curse from somewhere on top of her. Then there was shifting, movement, another animalistic cry and the sound of more cantering. And then she was being rolled onto her back, free to take a deep breath and practically choke on it as she inhaled.

Her face was covered in dust and, slowly, she moved to wipe it away and open her eyes.

The Doctor's silhouette was blurry at first, only the vaguest mass of colours, but as her eyes got used to the dusk light he swam into full focus, sitting above her while he fumbled in his jacket pocket. His hands stilled when he met her gaze.

"Are you all right?" It was a question he was used to asking, but that still didn't take the guilt out of his eyes. Rose nodded wordlessly, moving her tongue around her mouth for moisture. "Not quite the rescue attempt I was going for. Sorry."

She coughed, attempting to sit up. "S'fine."

Crouching to her side, he worked strong hands behind her arms, supporting her as she sat. "Easy does it, there we go," he mumbled softly, brushing hair and mud out of her face. "Suppose I should have told you never to dismount unless someone else is there, holding the reigns."

She blinked at him a moment, then winced as she ran a hand over her bruised legs. "Coulda mentioned it, yeah," she shot back, but there was no malice in her voice – in all honesty, she was happy not to have been hurt more.

"Can you walk?"

"Dunno. Can barely breathe at the moment."

"Right."

The Doctor sat back a little, his worried expression telling her he was trying to give her space. She almost laughed. Then, as her expression sobered, she looked around the field towards the sound of various whinnies. In the distance, their guide was trying unsuccessfully to wrestle the two Eloo into submission, whilst attempting to stay perfectly balanced on his own.

Rose glanced back towards the familiar hum of the sonic screwdriver, and smiled as the gentle blue light traversed her body. The Doctor's expression, fixed and concentrated, always made her feel safe.

"Hmm. Might have sprained an ankle on top of that bruising, but it doesn't look like there's anything too serious. Nothing broken, at least." He looked up, switching off the device. "You're lucky. There are terrible tales of people thrown from Eloo who never walk again."

She scoffed. "And you thought it would be a good idea to ride them – 'bit of fun', you said."

With one hand at her elbow and the other at her back, the Doctor supported her firmly as she got to her feet. He was right about the ankle; she could barely put any weight on her right one at all. Aside from a few aching muscles and limbs, though, she seemed to be all right.

"I honestly didn't remember them being that difficult," he answered carefully, letting her stand with her own weight. "I mean, children manage it."

Rose shot him a glare. "Yeah, thanks – ugh." Her retort turned into a grunt of pain; as she stepped forward, her ankle buckled painfully and she would have ended up horizontal again if the Doctor hadn't held out a strong arm for her to grab onto.

"There's no way I'm letting you walk back to the ranch in this condition," he said, circling an arm around her and giving her a worried look. "You might do more harm and until I get you to the medical bay, I don't want you walking."

"Then what do you propose? Leave me here for the dogs?"

"You know, technically there aren't dogs on this planet – well, not really, not like the dogs you're used to. Bigger, less friendly. More … rabid, actually. In fact I'd go so far as to say – sorry, am I rambling again?" Rose nodded, her smile wide even as pain shot up through her leg. The Doctor shook his head, tutting. "Tsk, this just won't do. I can't have a wounded companion! You're useless wounded."

"Once again, thanks," Rose replied bitterly, but the Doctor wasn't listening. He was trying to catch the eye of the guide who had, finally, managed to calm the two animals and loop in their reigns with his (or at least, whatever was left of the tattered remains of Rose's).

"Apologies in advance," the Doctor said brusquely, turning back.

"Apologies for – WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

In one deft sweep, the Doctor caught Rose up in his arms, supporting her legs and back while her hands went instinctively around his neck.

"Carrying you, what does it look like?" he deadpanned as he started to take good long strides across the field. His hands tightened around her. "Oof. Blimey Rose, I think it's time to lay off the cream on the cereal."

From where she was, the only part of him she could reach was the back of his head, so she gave it a friendly swat with her hand. In response, the Doctor pretended to drop her and Rose laughed, tightening her grip around him. She tried not to think about how very close her face was to his, being carried in this way – she knew he hadn't meant a thing with his comment, was only trying to diffuse any tension that might have arisen from their closeness. He stared forward, eyes set on the task at hand, and didn't once look her in the eye as he carried her.

She liked this feeling, the feel of him holding her, 'rescuing' her – even as much as she hated to admit it to herself. She couldn't deny there was something wholesome about being treated by the Doctor in this way.

And yet at the same time, there wasn't. He was just helping out a friend in need, the same as he would anyone, and as she leant her head against his shoulder she reminded herself that that was all she was to him: a friend. And if she spent a secret moment memorising the smell of his after-shave (if that's what it even was, you couldn't be sure with the Doctor), then so what? It's not like anyone would ever know – was it?


	3. The Eyes of Memory

**The Eden Project**  
by obscire

* * *

- Chapter Two -  
_The Eyes of Memory_

_"The past is a work of art, free of irrelevancies and loose ends."_  
- **Max Beerbhom **[1872-1956]

Night had fallen by the time they made it back to the ranch and the silver moonlight coated the ground in almost liquid mercury. Not feeling comfortable with her riding on her own, the Doctor had insisted he and Rose ride back together. There wasn't actually room on his Eloo for the two of them, but he managed to hold both his reigns and hers while the guide led them slowly back to the ranch.

They rode side by side, their knees occasionally knocking together and the Doctor making sure he flashed Rose some reassuring glances if he noticed her muscles get a bit tense.

The air was cooler by now, and much less humid, and the deep blue which enveloped the sky made it look like it had been stolen by the sea.

"That, up there," the Doctor said at one point, pointing to a small cluster of stars. "You can see that constellation from Earth – but only for half of the year. It disappears during winter, starts to surface again at the Spring Equinox."

Rose turned to him curiously. "You really do know everything, don't you?" she teased with a smile.

"Well, I try."

At that point, their guide – a burly, leathery creature with three eyes and claws for fingers – turned around to face them.

"There are legends about the stars, on this planet," he told him, glancing up to the night sky himself. "If you're interested in hearing them."

"We certainly are," replied the Doctor, glancing to his companion. "Aren't we, Rose?"

"It is said that, out there, there lives a great monster roaming the skies. It travels restlessly through empty space like a drifting, abandoned ship – every now and then it comes across a star that's nearing the end of its life and it consumes it, using the energy to power itself for another several millennia. One day, the creature will die – and when it does, all the stars in the sky will cease to exist, taking from us our motivation to stretch further into the universe. Existence will become an empty and lonely place until eventually every planet is silent and every world becomes history."

The guide finished with a wistful expression in his dark eyes. Almost appropriately, his Eloo gave a cough and shook itself, as though it didn't really like thinking of things in that way.

The Doctor sat with his thoughts like distilled water.

"That's … beautiful," Rose sighed from beside him, her eyes glistening. "And so sad. D'you think it's true?"

"I know very little of things beyond my family – but I think it's foolish to rule something out because it sounds far-fetched."

"I quite agree," added the Doctor, clearing his throat. "Legends are there for a very good reason, if only to make you think of the kind of world you could be living in."

"Legends have truth though, don't they Doctor? They gotta come from somewhere."

He gazed up to the night sky where the stars twinkled down at him as a cool breeze twitched his hair. He remembered something of a different planet, one that should never existed, one whose orbit around a black hole should have technically been impossible. He remembered what he had found down there in that pit – it wasn't easy to forget. "Perhaps," he murmured quietly. "There's usually a nugget of truth somewhere at the core of every legend."

"Part of me hopes that one isn't one of them," Rose admitted, and the Doctor turned to her with a gentle smile. "Wouldn't be able to have anywhere to visit with you, and that'd be awful."

"That would be a terrible thing indeed, yes."

They rounded the corner and, through an alcove of trees ahead, the stables came into view. Most of the other classes were probably already back, so they didn't hang around too long making small talk afterwards. The Doctor slid from his Eloo with elegant grace, before making his way around and offering Rose his hand as she too slipped down.

"How's that ankle of yours doing?" he asked worriedly as she reached down to rub it. "Think you can make it to reception?"

"Should do, yeah. It's… " She frowned uncertainly. "It's not as bad as it was before."

They followed the winding path back hand in hand, their footsteps crunching on the crystallised gravel beneath their feet. They kept bumping shoulders as they went, and Rose's limp – which was barely pronounced at all when they stared walking – had more or less disappeared by the time they reached the front door to reception.

It was a hotel, not just a stable, so the main foyer was bustling with all sorts of beings from all over the place. It had a restaurant and a pool at the back (and, apparently, a library), and was one of the better places to come for a bit of rest and relaxation. They hadn't come here for that, though; they'd just come to see the landscape and explore a bit more alien culture. On the far side there sat two large armchairs, an ornate coffee table between them, and asleep beside one of them was a big, shaggy beast. It was probably some kind of pet belonging to one of the tourists on site.

"Sit yourself down, Rose," said the Doctor as they approached the armchairs. "I'll get us all settled up and then we can head off back to the TARDIS – I still want to check you out."

She raised an eyebrow at him as she sunk into the leathery fabric. "Do you?"

"Your ankle." He blinked, licking his lips. "I want to check your _ankle_ out."

He ran a hand through his hazardous hair. Those words had certainly not meant to slip out of his mouth and he could practically feel Rose's smirk following him as he turned towards the desk on the far side of the room. Blasted girl – she always seemed to draw thoughts and ideas out of him that he never usually had, and it was beginning to unnerve him more and more.

By 'settling up', he meant 'wave the psychic paper around and hope for the best'; it seemed to work wonders on the receptionist, who not disregarded all possible fees but also referred to him as 'your majesty'. He liked setting the paper to 'random', it added a little spice into the lives of those he made up. When he turned back, Rose was busy examining her ankle. The creature at her feet twitched in its sleep. It was large – probably taller than Rose if it stood up on its hind legs – and looked like a strange cross between a lion and a wolf. Its tan hide burned brighter towards its tail, where at the tip a small flame flickered. It seemed… an unusual addition to the planet.

"That's it, we're all ready to go," said the Doctor as he approached. However, curiosity getting the better of him, he crouched down in front of Rose. "May I?" he asked and took her ankle into his hands.

Fishing for the sonic screwdriver, he ran it a few millimetres across her skin, frowning when he recognised the resonance. Then, with gentle fingers, he applied pressure around the joint. "Nothing?" he asked, looking up at her.

Rose shook her head. "Just feels like you're squeezing."

"It was definitely sprained – I felt it, I saw it."

"Maybe I'm just a fast healer." Rose shrugged. If she had been wearing trousers, he would have peeled them back to get a direct look at the skin – but the tights from the dungarees made it a bit too difficult, so instead he just stared intently, wondering why she miraculously seemed to have recovered. "Doctor? Can I have my ankle back now?"

"Oh right, yes, sorry," he babbled, dropping it. "I still want to look you over in the medical lab. The screwdriver's good for telling me what's wrong, but a full body analysis is going to take some time."

Rose's face paled. "Full body analysis? I fell of a horse, Doctor, it's not a mystery."

"Eloo, not horse, and that's not the point. You could barely an hour or so ago, it's at least worth – "

He was interrupted by a low growl. Turning, curiously eyed the beast beside him. It was half sitting, half standing, its ears laid back flat on its head and its large black eyes watching him interestedly. Its hackles were slightly raised and its fiery tail swished from side to side. No longer asleep, then.

"Doctor, be careful."

His gaze roamed the creature's face, from its proud, elongated muzzle to the livid scar that started at its throat and ran near to the tip of its tail. Flecks of white were smattered around the the otherwise colourful fur, and its paws especially looked as though it had spend the evening walking in snow.

"Oh, you are beautiful," he breathed in awe, eyes darting from one detail to the next. "No, really, I've seen a lot in my time and you – you're something else."

The beast trembled for a moment, before relaxing and sitting back on its hind legs. Its wizened eyes, however, never once left the Doctor. "You speak Arckylian," he commented, his voice little more than a guttural growl. "How?"

"_Arckylian_?" The Doctor sat back, rubbing a hand over his chin. "I haven't heard that word in… centuries, possibly. What are you doing here, of all places? This isn't your world."

His dark pupils glittered for a moment, as though the memory itself were playing out in his eyes. "I am stranded. I do not know how long I have been here, but I seem to be little more than a foolish animal to the creatures of this planet. I've learned patience and tolerance as it is better than sleeping outside in the cold – but it is no real life. Yours… " He looked up to Rose in the chair above him and, remarkably, the fur around his eyes became damp. " …Is the first I have heard of my language for centuries."

"God. That's awful." Rose raised a hand to her mouth, her expression so genuinely sympathetic that the Doctor wondered if she, too, were about to cry.

"What's your name?" he asked gently.

"It would take you many minutes to give you my real one and you are likely to forget it. The creatures here refer to me as Elias Nequam, so you may use that if you wish. I have grown accustomed to it."

"And you've been stranded here?"

Elias nodded his head, his heavy mane shaking with it. "I apologise for my first reaction to you – it was surprise. I still do not understand, but anyone who speaks to me as you have must surely be kind."

"Oh, I can do better than 'kind'," said the Doctor, getting to his feet. He reached out for Rose's hand and she took it, standing beside him.

"Can we… ?" she murmured softly.

He met her eye with raised brows. "I don't know. Do you think we should?"

"I know it's hardly alien big bad or anything, but… " She looked down to Elias, who was washing his paw. Whether or not he was purposefully giving them a little space, the Doctor didn't know. "He's lost, isn't he? Seems mean to just… I mean, there's no law that says it's always got to be a massive civilisation that you save, or anything."

He reached down, taking her hands and squeezing them tight as a grin spread warmly across his face. "You know, sometimes Rose Tyler, I really love travelling with you." He then turned back to Elias with a wave of his hand. "Elias, I think we might be able to help you. I'm the Doctor and this is Rose – we're time travellers."

He said the last in a hushed tone and Elias's ears pricked up. "Time travellers?"

"Yes. We hop about between stars and planets in my spaceship. Oh, I always hate saying that, it sounds so… But yes, that's what we do, Rose and I."

"That, at least, explains your bizarre attire," Elias commented, glancing to Rose and her dungarees. "I did wonder."

"We can go anywhere," Rose said, crouching in front of Elias. "I'm from Earth, yeah? And the Doctor – well, the Doctor's from all over really, least now he is. There's nowhere we can't go."

"Are you actually saying – that you can take me home?" There was such wonder in his voice that the Doctor was suddenly reminded why it was that he did what he did. It wasn't for the explosions and the running and the fact that he liked feeling like a hero – that was all good, but it wasn't _it_. No, it was for moments like these, when he realised just how much difference his lifestyle made to those around him.

He glanced to Rose out of the corner of his eye, smiling as she reached out and ruffled Elias's mane. Hers was another life he had affected, but in an entirely different way; his companions were always plucked from their timelines like fruit from the forbidden tree. There were backlashes, ripples that followed him everywhere he went and consequences he didn't usually want to hang around for.

Elias's shaggy head dropped, however. "There is little point," he said quietly.

"Why?" asked Rose immediately, stroking him. "There's always point in going home."

"Perhaps. But when I was captured there was a war going on and I'm not as young as I used to be. My family, my tribe … I am so much older… they will not understand if I return to them an aged creature, especially if I cannot fight."

"Well… we can take you back once the war is over. Can't we?"

The Doctor felt Rose's eyes on him, but he frowned down to Elias nonetheless.

"Then I would be a coward," Elias replied dully.

"I thought your race was peaceful," the Doctor stated with a questioning edge. "I always used to hear the Arckylians detested fighting – you were someone to live up to."

"We do. But Doctor, when your young are threatened and your home is being ripped away from beneath your paws, even the most gentle of dispositions would stand and fight. I am a warrior beneath this exterior, though I am without practice, and if I have to fight then I will." He gave a low growl and sat a little straighter, looking up to both of them with defiance. "I failed when I found myself captured that day. If I could return – I might redeem myself. Even in death."

The Doctor nodded gravely. "I understand."

"Doctor." Rose pulled him away for a moment, murmuring, "We can't just take him back to his death – it isn't right."

"Is it any more right to leave him here, where he's all alone?"

She blinked back at him softly, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth. "I don't want to see him die."

"Rose." He touched her cheek softly. "You know what this life is like. I hate to say it, but there is a lot of death in what we do."

"Yeah, and shouldn't we go out of our way to minimise it?"

He glanced back over to Elias, who was watching them carefully. "It's his choice; you and I don't get to decide."

"Couldn't he just… travel with us for a bit? We don't have to take him back straight away, do we?"

The Doctor held her gaze for a moment, his mouth forming a thin line as he thought. There was no reason why, theoretically, they couldn't have another join them on the TARDIS. It had been good fun with Mickey when he'd been around and perhaps an added dimension would make their lives a little more full. But at the end of the day it was still Elias's decision.

Elias trotted up to Rose, shaking his great head. "You are worried that I will die," he stated simply, blinking up to her.

"Um, yeah actually. Sorry."

"Don't be." He pulled as much of a smile as was possible for an animal. "Your compassion is moving – from what I'm given to understand of humans, it is rare, too."

"Not _that_ rare," countered the Doctor, reaching up and scratching his ear. "It's just – you only ever hear about the bad ones, really."

"If you'll allow me, I wish to come with you," said Elias. "I'm not sure how you'll explain it to the owners of this facility, but I'm sure you'll find a way."

"Back to your planet?" Rose checked.

Elias watched her carefully, his gaze set dead into hers. "Eventually, yes. But I… You say you move amongst the stars in your travels. I should quite like to see the stars."

"Then you'll come with us," the Doctor affirmed, looking down to his furry friend with warmth. "Elias. Good name, that – even if it's not yours."

It was easy enough getting the locals to let them take Elias with them; for starters, they didn't really have much of a choice as the animal stayed by their heels and wouldn't leave in a hurry. They tried to demand money, but the Doctor reminded them of his majesty and that he would be very upset if anyone were to challenge him on the matter, so they left fairly promptly afterwards without a word. Elias, however, did make the point of touching noses with a few of the locals – they had been good to him over time, after all. The Doctor and Rose wandered back hand in hand, as per usual, with Elias trotting along beside them.

"You are real, aren't you?" he said at one point, glancing up at the two of them. "I'm not going to wake up and find myself all alone in my chambers?"

"If we're not, then I'm dreaming too," said Rose, swinging the Doctor's hand happily. "And I could never dream up a place as beautiful as this."

"Oh, yes?" The Doctor caught her eye, grinning rakishly. "What do you dream of, then?"

"Never you mind," she responded quickly, but the blush that rose to her cheeks gave him an inner chuckle.

Once the TARDIS loomed into view, Rose slipped her hand out of his, dashing forwards and preparing her key, leaving the other two walking slowly behind her.

"She's a child?" Elias questioned softly, his paws carefully padding through the glass.

"Sort of. To me she should be, and probably to you." He looked down, smiling. "I'm guessing you've been around a good long while."

"You don't think of her as a child." It wasn't a question.

The Doctor cleared his throat, slipping his hands into his pockets. He couldn't escape the distinct feeling that there was something Elias wasn't telling him. "No, I don't."

"You should tell her, Doctor." Elias suddenly stopped. "She feels the same way."

Then he scampered forward, meeting Rose by the TARDIS door and letting her pet him at his mane. The Doctor watched, confused, before following.

"_She feels the same way."_

Whatever did he mean?

* * *

**Thanks for reading!  
**


End file.
